Just a Hobby
by StaroftheDunedain
Summary: All Raylan wants is to get drunk. Unfortunately, his bartender doesn't think he should. Maybe that's for the best. Mild mild mild xover. T for mild cussing. Less than in the show.


_AN: So, this started out by watching Justified last Wed and it turned into a sort of AU crossover with a story I haven't even written at yet. Don't need to know that to (hopefully) enjoy the story. Anyway... Sorry if this is too OOC. Beta by my lovely Justified expert JustWhelmed._

_Disclaimer. I do not own Justified or anything all except for Becky and my stuffed bear Jethro._

**Just a Hobby**

Raylan looked down at the bourbon in his glass, swilling the amber liquid around the bottom. He gulped it down and the the glass back down on the polished bar. "Another one." He noticed that his voice wasn't slurred yet. Two of three more shots would have that changing. He wondered how fast he could get them down.

More blessed bourbon filled his glass and he heard a low, English voice saying, "Who's the woman?"

Raylan looked up for the first time in almost two hours. "You aren't the guy who was here earlier" he brilliantly observed to the young woman in front of him.

"His kid's sick," she explained, tucking her brunette bangs behind her ears. "I'm Becky."

"Raylan. Nice to meet you, Becky."

She smiled at him. "Likewise" She leaned against the bar. "You never answered my question."

He thought about telling her to shove off, but he decided against it. She was cute and controlled his booze so there was no need to piss her off. "Kinda."

Her laugh was much richer than he would have expected given her size. "You are a rare breed, Raylan. Most people in here can't wait to pour out their life stories."

Raylan just nodded and took a sip of whiskey. "Well, I'm not one of them." He took another sip and glanced up just to see her looking amused.

"Figured that out already oddly enough."

He snorted.

"You wanna talk about your 'kinda' woman problems?"

He put his glass down hard. "Why don't you go play therapist with someone else?"

"Can't," she replied nonchalantly. "Last call's in forty-five minutes and you're the last one in here."

Raylan looked around the room and saw that she was telling the truth. "Hadn't noticed."

Becky shook her head sadly. "Must be something you wanna forget really badly."

He started at her. "Tell me, Becky, are you always this damn nosey?"

"Nope." It didn't seem like anything he said could even phase her. "You're just special."

"Lucky me," he grumbled.

Or offend her either because she just laughed and poured herself a beer.

He couldn't help himself. "Your boss ok with that?"

Her smile was mischievous. "Oh, I think it'll be fine."

"You the owner's kid?"

"Just his favorite employee."

He looked her over almost suspiciously. "You barely even look old enough to drink."

"I'm 23 and now who's being nosey?" she retorted with a grin.

Raylan laughed. "Well damn."

She laughed right along with him. "I thought that would work."

"Wait, what?"

"I figured, being a copper and all, you'd stop me from doing something illegal. If you were a decent man that is and you seemed nice enough."

He startled despite himself. "How in the hell?" He felt for his badge along his belt and remembered he'd left it in his glove compartment.

"You've got scratches on your belt from the badge/gun combo," she answered matter-of-factly. "I noticed when I came in."

"That's very...astute of you," he said after a long moment.

"Call it a hobby," she said with a shrug. "And a good one for a bartender to have."

"Would be." Against his better judgment and despite his his best efforts, Raylan found himself becoming extremely curious about this woman. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Why should I tell you?"

He couldn't tell if she were teasing or serious. He hoped for the former. "Tit for tat? Tell me your story and I'll tell you mine."

She nodded with a smirk like she'd won that should have been a lot more infuriating than it was. "Well, I was born in Yorkshire," she began.

She went on to tell him about her childhood with a neglectful mother and completely absent father. How she moved in with her paternal uncle and his room-mate when she was 15 to establish connection with that side of her family.

She laughed when he asked if she loved them, her gray eyes looking more like fog and less like steel.

"Yeah," she said fondly, "it was never boring. My uncle was an amatuer chemist and his room-mate was a doctor so I self educated a lot. Those were three great years. But I left at 18 to, I dunno, go make my fortune I guess." Absently, her hand reached for the pretzel bowl at the same time as Raylan's. She pulled back with a blush.

She talked about wandering over Ireland, going to New York and taking a cross country road trip. "Middle of Kentucky is where the money ran out so I got a job sweeping floors for Mel." She pointed at the sign above her head _Mel's Place_ "His other help was useless and I've got a good memory, for mixtures and the like. Plus, I amused customers with my parlor tricks." She gave a wry smile at that. "So I got promoted. I'll probably move on soon though. I'm not really cut out for the placid, bartender life."

"Huh." Raylan said after a long moment. "You didn't tell me about any men."

Becky shrugged. "Haven't been any."

"Well, girls then."

She laughed outright at that. "Definitely none of those." She shrugged again. "Too young I guess."

He snorted. "When I was too young was when I was in love the most." She just smiled. "My turn, right?" He sighed. "Well, I was born..."

"In Harlan County where you had and still have a very volatile relationship with your father. You are a United States Marshall. You've had two women in your life, both times ended badly," she said, waving him on. "I know all of that already. What happened in between?"

It took him a moment to pick his jaw up from off of the floor. "How...?" He shook his head. "Nevermind, it's one of your 'parlor tricks'. I don't need the migraine."

"Just call it a hobby," She repeated, smile widening until she looked like a Cheshire, erm, Yorkshire cat.

He gave a very loud exhale. "Right," he said as he started over.

Becky was surprisingly easy to talk to. Maybe it was how much he already knew about her. Maybe it was because she already knew so much. But he thought it was probably just her. She didn't watch him, didn't stare. She just started sweeping up and putting things away and getting ready to close down the bar.

He found himself talking about his youth in the coal mine, the Marshall's, Wynona, Florida, Ava and what it was like coming back to Harlan County. He told her about the end of it with Ava, the ending of it with Wynona.

"I guess I just learned she wasn't the woman I thought she was," he finished at long last.

Becky quietly replaced the broom before she responded. "You have terrible luck with women."

Raylan laughed so hard he was wiping away tears by the time he finished. "God and that wasn't even funny." He chuckled weakly."And that's why I was in here drinking. Speaking of which..." He pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe ya?"

She put her warm, slightly calloused hand over his. "No charge."

He opened his mouth to object, but found he couldn't argue with that soft light in her eyes. "Thanks." He glanced at his watch. "Hell, it's nearly four in the morning!"

She smirked. "I know."

"Let me walk you to your car?"

A look of surprise crossed her face before she regained her usual equilibrium and shrugged. "If you want."

He watched her turn out the lights and lock the door before he accompanied her to her battered old Ford pickup. "Becky," he asked as she opened the door, "you mind if I kiss you?"

He didn't wait for an answer, just leaned down and kissed her. Her lips were soft and she tasted kind of like beer and pretzels but he didn't really care. Her body was warm against his and so were her fingers on his shoulders through his shirt.

Eventually, need for oxygen forced them apart. "Bye, Raylan," she said quietly.

He tightened his grip on her waist. "Will I see you again?" It was terribly important somehow that he see her again.

"Maybe."

"I can come back here."

She smiled sadly. "I might not be here."

He didn't say anything.

"Let me go, Raylan," she said, tugging on his hands gently.

It felt more permanent, definite, than that so he didn't until she kissed him softly and sweetly. "Please."

"I'll see you later, Becky," he promised.

She just patted his hand gently and climbed into her truck.

While he was watching her drive away, it started raining. He still stood there and watching until her tail lights disappeared. "I have the worst luck with women."

_AN2: I know he hasn't left Wynona yet, but I keep hoping he will._


End file.
